The Gazette
November 2015
Montessori lessons that focus on Writing Preparation
It was lovely meeting with you during conferences. Even though, the time was brief, it was insightful and enjoyable. After reflecting on my meetings with you, I thought I would dedicate this newsletter to some of our Montessori works that are in our Pre-Reading, Writing Preparation category. Although, I have shown or explained many of these works to you already, I thought it may be nice to see some pictures of the works being done.
Your children began working on language during certain Practical Life and Sensorial Exercises. These centers provide physical preparation for the movement of writing (working from left to right, using the pincer grip when attaching clothespins). Children have been refining their senses through materials in order to train audition, voice, and sight, all necessary when working on our language works.
In addition, we have been working on development of self-esteem and confidence. In order to write and even to speak, the child must have something to say! Building self-confidence in the Children's House helps achieve the development of expression via language. It is important to provide an environment in which children feel comfortable and capable!
In The Advanced Montessori Method, Volume 1, Maria Montessori writes of the importance of perfecting movement for writing through activities other than writing itself. She explains that the forced repeated action of writing and re-writing letters (as is typically seen in traditional schooling systems), in not the best way to perfect writing or to maintain the child's interest in discovering writing. Maria Montessori believed that art as well as other indirect preparatory methods are the ideal means for teaching a child how to write.
In addition, the guide (the teacher) will introduce various Vocabulary Enrichment materials and activities. Once the child has explored such materials regularly, the teacher can introduce materials which are more directly linked to what will eventually become the child's ability to write. This next step begins with The Sound Analysis Game.
The Sound Analysis Game
There are several sound games that are played in the classroom. These games provide opportunities for spoken words to be analyzed aurally to help the child realize that spoken words are made up of separate sounds. They also help the child become aware of the order of these sounds.The main goal of this lesson is direct preparation for the Sandpaper Letters. The Sandpaper Letters introduce the symbols that belong to the sounds that the child is analyzing.
When a child masters sound games , he will have greater success in later works such as the Sandpaper Letters (associating the sound with its letter/s and using the fingers to trace letters and the Movable Alphabet (using cut-out letters to build words). Down the road, the child’s phonemic awareness will aid her in producing and pronouncing written words, that is, in writing and reading.
The Sound Analysis Game is one example of a sound game that is used in the classroom. Below, you will see Ethan and Liana playing the game together. In this example, Ethan is giving Liana a lesson. He has isolated two objects from the box. He then says: I spy with my little eye, something that starts with /h/. Liana will pick up the house. Next, Ethan returns the tiger to the box and removes another object. They continue on and perhaps take turns.
When a child is experienced with listening for initial sounds, we will focus on end, middle and even beginning and end sounds together. For example: 'I spy with my little eye something that begins with /h/ and ends with /t/" or whatever sounds are represented by the objects.
The Sandpaper Letters and the Sound Object Boxes
When the child begins to trace the Sandpaper Letters, he begins to make the connection between movement of his hand and the thought process related to the sound intended by each letter.
In this picture, Abbey is reviewing a Sound/Object Box on her own. I will explain the contents of the work and how the lesson is presented.
Tracing letters in the Sand
The purpose is to help a child learn how to trace letters and numbers on his own, while allowing for the same tactile and sensorial experience as the sandpaper letters and numerals. Children are not as worried about making mistakes. If they are unsatisfied with the way they traced a letter, they can shake the tray and start again. It encourages repetition and it also takes away the pressure of having to fill up a line or a page!
The Moveable Alphabet
The child will think of a word and try to create the spelling for it. At this stage, we don't correct a child's spelling. We allow the child to use 'unconventional spelling' so that she can explore freely; correcting a child's spelling in this particular work, could hinder a child's expression.
When the child begins doing reading works, they will study that at times there are multiple ways to spell a word; digraphs will be introduced. Once the child has a written a word, using the Moveable Alphabet, we don't ask the child to read the words back. The Moveable Alphabet is a writing work and not a reading work.
The Metal Insets
The Metal Insets are introduced to prepare the hand for writing or letter formation. The child can learn how to grip a writing instrument such as a pencil. The child is focused as the work demands eye-hand coordination. When tracing regular shapes such as a square, circle, triangle or rectangle, the child must keep the point of his pencil on the edge of the frame or the inset. After the child has traced the frame and the inset, he will make strokes with the pencil that start at the top of the traced shape down to the bottom. He starts on the left side of the shape and tries to have steady strokes from top to bottom. The various shapes of the Metal Insets provide the child with the opportunity to train his hand while tracing contours, wide or acute angles, while filling in the shapes with circular motions or straight lines which must be kept within the borders.
Chalkboards
A prelude to our Reading Works Category
First Reading Work: Phonetic Object Box
When presenting this work, the guide and child identify several small objects (a mop, a pig, a hat, a can, a mat, a bag). Next, the teacher writes the child a message. For the first two or three messages, she will space out the letters. The child will see: m a t. She is encouraged to sound out the letters that she sees. /m/ /a/ /t/. The teacher encourages the child to read the sounds more quickly until she realizes that she is actually reading the word mat! The guide will prepare more messages for the child. At the end, the guide will collect all the messages, and invite the child to re-read all of the messages and associate the words with the objects.
One example of our Reading Works
In the Spirit of Giving to others
Thanksgiving Feasts
In preparation for our Thanksgiving Feasts, our classes prepared carrots for the All School Friendship Soup. The children thoroughly enjoyed preparing carrots for the soup. We often spoke about our part in the soup preparation/making and the importance of this work. Children were pleased with themselves to contribute an ingredient.
Works like this really encourage children to concentrate. It is an involved activity and therefore fosters the development of will-power and independence. Children usually spend around 20-30 minutes working on their own.
Thank you to all the parents who brought in carrots with their child's snack choice. I also wanted to thank parents who have been including carrots or bananas regularly with their child's snack; children have been able to do these works daily, thanks to you!
Thanksgiving Feasts
Leading up to Thanksgiving, we spent a lot of time during circle time discussing and sharing what we were thankful for.
The Monday/Wednesday/Friday group celebrated Thanksgiving in the Classroom. A special thank you to our class parents, Mrs. Boardman and Mrs. Cunningham, for helping us get organized for the feast. Thank you to all the parents who provided delicious food and paper goods.
The Tuesday/Thursday group celebrated Thanksgiving in the gym with the other classes that attend on Tuesdays and Thursdays. They had a lovely time as well! Thank you to Mrs. Sekhar, Mrs. Timm and Mrs. Reyling for volunteering to help us during the Feast!